The Bilila Lodge Kempinski is a brand new lodge, set in the centre of the Serengeti National Park close to Seronera. It first opened its doors to guests in June 2009, and we managed to visit it shortly after.
With 74 rooms it is a large international-style hotel and is a very similar standard to its sibling, the Zanzibar Zamani Kempinski. It is beautifully and stylishly put together, with lots of high quality fittings from South Africa and is the closest that you will get to a five star hotel in the Serengeti.
The main facilities include a comfortable lounge and bar furnished with huge sofas and armchairs. There is a vast indoor dining area and restaurant serving international cuisine prepared in an open kitchen, and also an outside deck with tables and chairs. The infinity swimming pool has plenty of sun loungers dotted around it where you can sunbathe and look out across the Serengeti plains at the same time. The Bilila Lodge Kempinski also has a vast spa which offers a range of treatments by trained Thai therapists. There are 6 treatment rooms and treatments start at $135 for 90 minutes.
You will also find a gym with numerous machines and weights, a games room which is home to an antique billiards table and a variety of board games including chess and backgammon. There is a relaxing library and a beautiful wine cellar which stocks a vast array of South African wines. A shop sells high quality curios and wandering through the art gallery is a fun way to spend half an hour.
Wooden walkways raised off the ground lead you between the main areas and Bilila's 74 bedrooms. These include Deluxe rooms, Club rooms, Corner suites, one Presidential suite and two Family villas. They are all spacious, and the suites are some of the largest rooms in the Serengeti. Each is decorated with local artworks and textures, so you do have some sense of your location but they remain quite minimalist and very smart.
Each room has an en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning, satellite TV and radio, a DVD player, hair-dryer, a mini-bar, tea/coffee making facilities, high speed internet access, and a private teak deck with a telescope for game viewing. In addition, the suites and the two Family villas have their own private plunge pool, offering great panoramic views over the Serengeti plains.
The Bilila Lodge Kempinski can do its own game-drives into the Serengeti National Park and you would share these activities with other guests. Or you can arrive at the hotel with your own private vehicle and guide. Activities from the lodge include game drives only.
Our view
The Bilila Lodge Kempinski has tried hard to blend in with its natural surroundings and it offers a very smart and chic experience of the Serengeti. However it remains to be a large international-style hotel and so travellers here will feel very divorced from their surroundings and won't really feel any sense of wilderness.
Lodge overview
Lodge type: Safari
No. of bedrooms: 74 rooms
Season: Open Year Round
Ideal length of stay: Stay at the Bilila Lodge Kempinski for at least three nights to fully explore the central Serengeti and Seronera area.
Central facilities: Bilila Lodge's central facilities include a lobby lounge, a main restaurant, a bar, as well as a wine cellar. There are conference rooms to accommodate up to 80 people at the lodge, and a variety of business centre services are available. The Anantara Spa offers all kinds of beauty treatments, and guests have access to fitness facilities and an outdoor infinity pool. For children, there's a play area, as well as a library and game room for grown-ups. Bilila also features an art gallery, a gift shop and Lithoz jewelry shop.
Directions: The Bilila Lodge Kempinski is not at all far from Seronera airstrip.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer
Key personnel
Owner: Bilila Lodge is owned by Kempinski Hotels.
Food & drink
Usual board basis: Full Board
Food quality: Bilila Lodge's main restaurant serves Pan-African and international cuisine. 'Theatre cooking' in the open kitchen shows guests the freshness and quality of the products used by the chefs. The restaurant prepares breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast and dinner is always served as a buffet.
Light, creative lunches are also served at the pool bar, the lounge area, and in the lodge's wine cellar. At the boma, guests can enjoy local grill specialities accompanied by African entertainment.
Dining style: Inidividual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Room service: Bilila Lodge Kempinski can offer room service and there are phones in rooms.
Cost of meal e.g. lunch: Included
Drinks included: Drinks are not included; you can expect to pay about $5 for a beer and $40 for wine. The drinks here are quite expensive in comparison to other lodges and hotels in the Serengeti.
Children
Attitude towards children: Fine
Age restrictions: None
Activities: There are two private Family villas, and interconnecting rooms, which can be used as family units. Also, Bilila Lodge Kempinski has a play area for children.
Equipment: Bilila Lodge Kempinski has cots and high chairs, and they also plan to employ a professional babysitter
Central communications
Power supply: Generator
Communications: Every room has high speed internet access but you need your own laptop for this. In addition the business centre offers free internet access for up to two hours, but after that it is an additional cost.
TV & radio: All guestrooms at Bilila Lodge are equipped with satellite TV/radio and DVD/multimedia players.
Health & safety
Malarial area: Yes
Medical care: Bilila Lodge Kempinski has a doctor on site and access to flying doctors.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: There's a safe for personal belongings in every room. Askaris escort the guests around the hotel at night.
Fire safety: The Bilila Lodge Kempinski has fire extinguishers and hose pipes dotted around the lodge, and staff are trained to use them. There is a fire break around the lodge as well.
Extras
Disabled access: In Place
Laundry facilities: Bilila Lodge Kempinski offers a full laundry service for an additional charge.
Money: The Bilila Lodge Kempinski can do currency exchange and cash off credit cards.
Accepted payment: You can settle your bill by Mastercard and Visa – there is no charge for this. You can also use most major currencies, including the British pound, US dollar and the Euro. However the Bilila Lodge Kempinski does not accept Amex or Travellers cheques.
We want you to understand more about Bilila Lodge Kempinski. We're also confident that a trip there with us cost you the same or less than booking it any other way, even directly. So follow the links below.
Bilila Lodge Kempinski's homepage Nice and easy to use, this website has information on the history, facilities and services of the lodge.
